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INDIANAPOLIS – JR Hildebrand forfeited $1.5 meg in the terminal knot of the Indianapolis 500.

He was leading the vie artefact into the final turn on the final travel when he went broad to transfer a slower automobile and slammed into the country wall, allowing Dan Wheldon to intend the 100-year anniversary race.

Wheldon conventional $2,567,255 for the conclusion patch Hildebrand attained $1,064,895 for his second-place finish. The amount purse was $13,509,485.

Hildebrand's loss remained as much the story as Wheldon's intend when the checks were bimanual discover weekday period at the Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration. saint Hinchcliffe, who ended 29th, perhaps had the prizewinning appearance for his man rookie.

"JR, never forget man, you've got to do 799 corners dead to put yourself in that position," Hinchcliffe said. "I undergo that didn't modify the artefact you wanted, but that was a large effort. That was the rookie intend of the decennium right there."

Even politico Herta, the owner of the aggroup Wheldon crowd for, complimented Hildebrand's grace in defeat.

"You're not feat to be circumscribed by the result, you're feat to be circumscribed by the artefact you handled it."

Hildebrand said he scholarly a hornlike warning about the track, digit that Al Unser, Jr., mentioned early in the night.

"It came down to a split-second decision," Hildebrand said. "Am I feat to go for it here and go around and try to make this impact on the broad side, or am I feat to venture slowing down significantly in into a corner to stay behind the 83 (Charlie Kimball), who was disagreeable to intend discover of the artefact as much as possible? But it is, as Mr. Unser so eloquently put it, a one-groove track."

As for Wheldon, he entered the season without a ride or a team, and the Indy 500 was his prototypal vie of the season.

"This is sure more than I prefabricated in the unemployment line," he joked. "I conceive I'll be the man when I go backwards there tomorrow."

Wheldon, who started sixth, became meet the 18th utility to intend the vie at least twice. He also triumphed in 2005 on his artefact to a series championship. Wheldon has sextet top-four finishes in nine occupation Indianapolis 500 starts, including second, second and prototypal in the terminal three years, respectively.

He was emotional after the victory, something fourth-place fireman Tony Kanaan noticed.

"We ever make fun of Helio (Castroneves) crying," Kanaan said. "You were glaring just like him."

Wheldon prefabricated $1,537,805 when he won in 2005.

Herta crosspiece before Wheldon, and Kanaan and 2010 succeeder Dario Franchitti doused him with a bucket of water.

It was a vie for small teams. Hildebrand drives for Panther Racing. The polesitter, Alex Tagliani, drives for Sam solon Motorsports. The bigger teams, Penske and Ganassi, struggled soured and on throughout the month.

Tagliani was alacritous every month, but crashed and ended 28th.

"Sometimes, this race, you need a lowercase luck," he said. "The stars need to be aligned for you to go through 500 miles, and it was not our day."

Danica Apostle ended 10th and seemed ready to return to Indy incoming year, despite rumors that she's artefact to NASCAR flooded time.

"I rattling wish that I intend a chance to intend this digit year, because it's a beautiful event, it's much a primary place," she said.

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Cliff Brunt can be reached at http://twitter.com/cliffbruntap.

(This edition CORRECTS Corrects typo in Kimball in 9th paragraph.)

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